Serious: The adventures of the Demon blacksmith and the Lightning beast, Chapter 1: The Lost bandits of Santa Goret (Open, also would like some help with the npcs)

Jim had pinpointed his invisible assailant's location the moment she had spoken, but his parlay seemed to be working well enough. Rather than try his hand at knocking some invisible spook around with lasers, he kept his hands raised and nodded.

"Oh yes, he'll die. I mean, only if I do. I give you my word I'll let him out after all of this is resol-"

Around that time, Kiana ended the skirmish in the most spectacular fashion possible, using her scythe and katana to perform an impromptu headectomy on the bandit leader. At once the remaining cyborg minions quit their rampaging. Jim tossed the knife he'd pulled out of his shoulder to the ground right where he suspected the invisigirl was.

"So, about that. Looks like you all have lost then. I'll tell you what; you come out of hiding and give me a biiiig thumbs up, and I'll let boingo check out. Fair trade, right?"

"No..."
Jasmine whispered. She was already at her leaders side when she made herself visible again.
"How could this happen.... Master..."
It couldn't be just over yet. Simon was gone, the cyborgs were defect, the leader was dead... What had happened to the surviving bandits she could only fathom.
She turned around and got up, now facing the stranger who had imprisoned Simon.
"He will not have anything to do with us anymore if you let him out... He was here only for the leader... not...for me..."
It was hard to tell if she was sad about it or simply stated it as a fact, her voice was as monotone as it always was. Except for a little shaking in it.
"But.... we will not stop you in anything you do anymore... you won this fight fairly... I will let you leave...."


In this weird place he was in, nothing seemed to work. Why did he even try?
Simon had treid to use his powers again and again, with no real results. It was like he had only just eaten the fruit and was unable to control its power...
He sat down with his head in his hands. What if they needed his help right now?
What if they were dieing right now just because he wasn't there to help them?
They were strong, of course, but...
Through his fingers, he looked at the ground he was sitting on and cursed himself. Cursed himself for his stupidity and for being useless.
He couldn't help it. He was crying. Maybe deep inside, he already knew why he was feeling so wrong.

Kiana had just run to her ship as fast as her legs would allow and was now returning carrying a large pouch fashioned of folds of leather bound by leather string. She had taken some of the glacier pieces and wrapped them in leather before thoroughly smashing them with her forge hammer to construct a pliable , durable cold compress.

On her way back to, she pauses to greet Jim and takes a moment to study the melancholy girl who had just seemingly appeared from nowhere. She had never seen so much sorrow as was firmly encased behind the mysterious oculars of the disappearing girl. She shivered a bit as she quite suddenly felt the misguided and twisted legacy of the tragedy of the island for the first time. She gave a somber nod to the girl before turning to Jim.
"Thank you for your help, Laddie... though, I still don't know why the blazes you're even here... You need to get something on that shoulder... "

She pulls a small pouch of ointment and a bit of bandaging from her utility pouch and slips it into his hand before scurrying back to Satoshi, now marginally winded as the impacts of her recent sprint and the battle were catching up with her.
"Bushido ... sorry that ... took ... so long..."

She opens the pouch and removes a small amount of the ice before resealing the pouch and placing it in Satoshi's hands She wraps the handful of ice she'd just taken from the pouch in a cloth and holds if for a few seconds, sending a mild surge of heat to instantly melt the ice while still allowing the water to remain slightly cool as it soaks into the cloth. She places the cool cloth over his forehead to collect the random streams of trickling blood.

Suddenly aware that she was lingering too long, she left the cloth there on his forehead and backed away a bit to give him some space. She wasn't quite sure what had come over her, she was a warrior and a blacksmith, not a bloody medic. She waited a bit to see if he required anything else, her feet absently and ... awkwardly shuffling at the ground as she kept her eyes downcast, careful to not bother Satoshi with her sad blue gaze that she knew was likely spilling over with concern.

Jim nodded his thanks to Kiana as she handed him the small pouch. Opening it up, he gave a sly smile and nodded to her.

"Well, that's two I owe you now." Pocketing the stuff to use once he had a moment's free attention span, Jim slammed his free hand against the air, a rectangular door opening into his personal little dimension in the air.

Stepping inside, Jim did his best to locate the spring man before he could do that bullet thing he enjoyed so much, then put up his hands to indicate that he had peaceful intent.

"I'm here to let you out," Jim stated plainly, still grinning a bit too much for anyone's taste but his own. "Your side lost, it would seem. Leaderman's been cut down."

Stepping to the side, holding his own door out into the real world open, Jim fixed the man with a rare serious look, his hand reaching out to one side to hold the door open. He turned the other one up in a shrug.

"But that girl with the visibility problems, she seems pretty right sad. She's lost her fight. Maybe I could convince you to go comfort her a bit, instead of trying to skewer me on your fist, say, the moment you get out of here?"

Simon had been sitting there, his head still in his hands, while the door opened. He didn't move when the man had started to speak.
It was hard to tell whether he was even listening.
Somehow, he had known it... He had known the leader was dead. He wasn't crying anymore, he just felt empty.
Slowly, he stood up and walked towards the door. When he was next to the stranger, he stopped for a moment, as if he wanted to say something. Then he just walked right by, out into the real world, his hands in his pockets and his eyes fixed on the ground.
He only looked up when he stood in front of Jasmine. Even managed aslight smile.
"Not gun' crah, are ya?"
Jasmine looked back at him. Really, her eyes were wet, but the rest of her face was as calm as always. It took much to see what she was actually feeling.
"C'mon, gal... I's okay."
He embraced here just when her body started shaking.

Satoshi was feeling better at least. And it was nice to see Jim be so noble towards the bandits. Satoshi couldnt help but feel a little tired. He had fought too many battles and trained too hard. He hated the fact that he was down like this and imposing on Kiana. He then said "Thank you Kiana, you have been very kind to me... ummm, shouldnt we go and search for your research now..., you made my sword really well, thank you, with it i can consistently cut clean through metal without any over the top power, its really well balanced."

A short ways away from the two bandits, tempering their loss with camaraderie or romance or whatever, Jim couched down and poked a finger into the ground. He dropped a couple of tiny little specks of something into it, then erased the hole from the ground by running his hand over it a couple of times.

"If those grow," Jim stated, facing the two, "then you can do something good with this island now, right?" He gestured over to the leader's body. "He can go back to the island, too. Don't put him in a box when you put him under, and even in death he'll help bring this place some life again, right?"

Giving a sweeping gesture at the many motionless and scrapped cyborgs, he continued.

"Them too...I bet you've got enough scrap here to irrigate the entire island, one end to the other. If you all work half as hard to rebuild this place as you did on this army, it'll be back to size in no time. Somehow, I think you're all strong enough to keep it safe this time around..."

Jim reached into one of his corduroy's pockets, pulling out a scrap of paper and throwing it on the ground.

"...and if you ever need a little extra help, or find yourself wanted to be pissed off for any reason, that's my den-den exchange number."

Deciding to leave the two alone to think on what he'd said and cuddle and snog and whatever it was they'd do after he was gone, Jim turned towards the girl who'd given him the first aid supplies and the shy, blustery swordsman who was so clearly into her. Taking the pack out of his pocket, Jim began pouring the disinfectant out onto his wounds, then grabbed his arm and pulled his shoulder infront of him, flat removing it from his body as it became doored, and bandaged it.

Arriving at the other two, he let his shoulder swing shut, ending his freaky spectacle. He put his hands together infront of himself and gave Kiana a short but gracious bow.

"Thank you kindly my radiant reaper of robots, my good sir slayer of cyborgs. I'd really rather like to find my way to a ship, see; the way I travel requires an awful lot of walking or hopping. It's fast, and discrete, but it's boring. And I'd like to ride a storm once in a while."

Casting an eye over at Ranyx, Jim wondered whether he'd be hanging out for much longer. Much as he'd like to chat with his old buddy, he wasn't headed back to that crew - yet - and didn't particularly care to linger on his goodbye for the time being.

Content knowing Satoshi needed nothing further. She wiped a bit of blood from her face with the back of her hand and sheathed her scythe, pleased to finally be able to get to work. Her eyes were cold and focused now.

"Yes, I do indeed have work to do. You should rest a bit, swordsman. Return to my ship if you like. There are more herbal treatments and ointments on board for your wounds. I only ask that you stay out of the forge and also, please don't bother the waver... you probably wouldn't even live to allow me cut you to pieces for damaging it. If you'll need me, I'll be excavating that hill near the western shore."

She turns to Jim, giving a vague nod connected with a steely glare. She found his request to be bizarre and ... suspicious. She was tired now, but ready to get to work. Jim's quirky demeanor was always amusing, that is, when it wasn't busy being annoying; now was the latter.

"Let me make sure I've got this straight, laddie... you want me to ferry you on my ship without knowing who in bloody hell you are, who you're affiliated with, or why you're even here ... all because you're bored and tired of walking?! I won't leave until I finish my research... so you may want to break down and bore yourself if you're in a hurry. I am grateful for your assistance but it seems you would have been attacked and bloody shredded without our presence anyway. You can come along if you like but it's damn suspicious that you didn't ask where my destination is, meaning either you don't care where you're going or you think you can somehow gain control of the ship ... I advise you to chose your actions wisely while onboard my ship."

She turned away from Jim and Satoshi and began walk along the shore like toward the mineral field, her eyes blazing with an intensity that she saved only for her work.

"I'll leave you lads to lick your wounds. You know where to find me."

"It's that first one," Jim commented to Kiana as she turned away from him. "The 'I don't care where I'm going' one. But yes, once I'm on it I don't even need to be on it. And thanks for that whole me-not-being-bloody-shredded thing, too."

A moment later something else she had said caught up with him and he broke into a jog, following behind her.

"You did mention you were doing some excavating just now, didn't you? Turns out I can give a hand with that. Might be a good way to start paying you back for all the favours you'll undoubtedly do me, past present and future, now that I'm welcome about your craft."

"Hmmm..."
Simon let go of Jasmine and looked at the piece of paper in his hands.
"Does make sense, righ? Ah mean, 'bout this island."
He looked back at Jasmine and after a while, took a pen out.
Jasmine knew what was coming.
"You're leaving, aren't you?"
Simon turned the piece of paper around and wrote something on the backside.
"Th' only thing keeping me here was him. Now tht he's gon, Ah'll go continue mah journey. Maybe th' marine'll want me this time, righ?"
He smiled slightly and gave her the paper.
"You take care'f thangs her. Those guys need ya help more than I do."
Jasmine nodded and took the paper. Then she looked at him.
"I am not sad in teh least, just to let you know!"
"Woah, woah. Feisty lady!"
He laughed. Then he stepped forward and embraced her again. It was a very hort embrace.
Jasmine remained where she was while he headed for the sea. He had never told anyone where he had hidden his ship, or boat, or whatever.
She turned and walked back the way she had come. On her way, she picked up her leaders body. They would bury him later.

((Thread still movin' dudes?))

Satoshi decided to rest. He was going back to the ship for some rest. He looked back "Ill be waiting at the ship Kiana, as i am now, i would slow you down, i hope you find the minerals you need.. And you cyborg things, thank you for your assistance, i am grateful.." Satoshi dragged himself wearily to the ship. He was going to be a burden if he followed Kiana anyway, she had already done so much for him.

"Hey dude!"
The way too cheerful face of Simon could only be a mask. No man could be so cright so soon again after such a loss.
He was sitting on the ships reling and waved at Satoshi with a happy, careless smile on his face, which was such a contrast to the lines the tears had drawn on his face earlier.
At least his brain still seemed to be working just right, since he quickly raised his hands in complete defeat even before Satoshi even got the chance to do anything.
"Dun worry, man! Nat here ta harm ya!"

She had given Jim a bizarre look of puzzlement before she had departed, perplexed as to why he want to make something simple so very complicated. "Why?... can't you smell them... the minerals to the west... the sweet scent... like fresh rain. In any case, I work alone. If you want to help, go look after my... I mean the swordsman. Keep him out of trouble."

After she had arrived, she had been kneeling there for some time, her eyes glazed with fascination. And there it was, the other mineral for which she had been searching over so many years. The very substance that had been relegated to the back alleys of forgotten legends was there, melting cheerfully in her had as she heated her blade, priming it to accept the gleaming yellow liquid in her hand. She let the liquid slip from her hand, it's high affinity to the other vivid blue mineral already present in the blade allowed them to bind together instantly, blue meeting gold to create a rich green sheen that danced across the onyx-hued blade when light encountered its surface.

She had gathered a good amount of minerals and was now headed back for the ship so that she could begin her research in the forge; she would return for a bulk amount later. She was tired now; the her sheer excitement and obsession allowed her the strength to gather the materials but now her wounds and fatigue from the battle were catching up with her.

She made her way wearily on board her ship. She was very cold now; She had used so much energy during the fight and her recent modification of her sword had drained a good amount of her remaining strength. She shivered a bit as she sheathed her katana. Her vivid blue eyes scanned the upper decks for any signs of life. She had given instruction that no one was to enter her forge. It was locked tightly but these sorts of things were but a small obstacle for the particularly determined.

She raised a brow at Simon, not particularly concerned with him. She walked pasted him, mumbling absently as she passed while half heartedly bandaging the wound on her shoulder.
"Now what? What the hell are you doing on my ship, laddie? Are you going to let yourself out or shall I help? I'll be standing by."
She didn't look back or wait for a response. I would be fair to say she didn't quite care but she would defend her vessel if she had to.

She felt a bit guilty for leaving the swordsman in such dismal shape, but she wasn't foolish enough to underestimate him; he could take care of himself even when battle-worn. She glanced around the deck for him as she went to retrieve some water, noting that none of the water was missing. She collected an extra vessel of water for the swordsman, suspecting that he was probably dehydrated by now; he seemed to always forget simple things like this.

"Bushiiiido? Are you here?... You don't have to hide, Bushido!... I won't bite you... um ... again. By the way, are you bringing strays onto my ship or did they just follow you?"

Satoshi was a sleep when Kiana got back. He was having a peaceful nap which was suddenly stopped when Kiana came in. Satoshi got up slowly and looked to his far left "ur..... Kiana? Are you done with the minerals? I didnt know you came back.... im sorry i was taking a nap for a bit... quite tired, whats that you said about a stray? I did not bring anyone onto the ship.... " Satoshi yawns, he was horrible at waking up, his worst quality yet.

Kiana tilted her head as Satoshi struggled to awaken, finding the entire spectacle marginally endearing. The slightest hint of a fond smile crossed her lips, despite her best efforts to suppress it as she knelt near him to set a container of water near by.

"I have collected enough to study, for the moment. I will gather more later when I know the correct proportions I need in combination with the other mineral.

It seems that one of the natives has wandered onboard; I'll deal with him later. How are you feeling, Bushido? Have you patched all of your wounds? You should drink some water... perhaps you should sleep more too?"

She suddenly bit her lower lip to silence herself, realizing that she was randomly fussing over him. She was relieved that he was probably too sleep-dazed to even notice her rambling.

"Hmmm... romance..."
Simon looked at them in a dreamy way. He wasn't the type to have romances... still, sooo romantic...
He had to slap himself to get his head to work properly again.
Then he jumped down the reling and walked over to them.
"That's cold, at least hear me out! I wanna depart, but ah seem to have forgotten to secure ma boat somehow when I arrived here. It's gone."
He didn't seem emberassed to admit it at all...
"So ah was wonderiiing if you could... maybe... yanno, take me with you to the next island? Really, it's important for me to get there! Ah'll jump off there and ya'll neva see me again."

She shuddered at the words emitted but the uninvited stranger. Romance? What the hell was he talking about? She certainly had no idea where he would gather such a ridiculous idea. In the mean time, she unconsciously gave Satoshi another fond glance to make sure he was alright before acknowledging Simon.

She got to her feet eyeing him carefully with those cold azure oculars that could freeze the very soul of hell itself. She was naturally very wary of the man who not so very long ago would have contented himself to open her throat in the streets. Had he no loyalty to the place that he had just fought for? She had every reason to assume that he was just another native, fighting a pointless battle against those who were reluctant to be enemies. This was now the second person today who had asked for a whimsical ride aboard her vessel with an unspecified destination and her suspicions were only growing at this point. At least the previous would-be passenger had at least fought on her side.

"Why are you in such a hurry to abandon the very land that you would risk your life to protect. Now that the battle is over, has this land become useless? Are all of you so shallow that would would pile a lack of loyalty on top of cowardly, misguided aggression? Nothing surprises me any more. You are all bloody idiots. ... wait... how the blazes do you forget to secure your ship, laddie?! That means ... you're not a local, doesn't it? What the hell are you doing here and why didn't they attack you?"

She turns back to Satoshi, who she sincerely hopes is awake enough to access the situation.

"What do you think, Bushido? Shall we let him live?"

Satoshi was half asleep when Kiana was talking. He wasnt even listening if he was being brutally honest. Then when Kiana called his name, he took about 5 seconds to realise what she was even asking. "uhhhh, i dont know Kiana.. your ship your rules, you decided what we should do with him...... Im sorry Kiana, im soo tired...... im going to sleep for at least 10 minutes...zzzzz" Satoshi fell back into a deep slumber. He said 10 minutes, but anyone who knew Satoshi would know that it was impossible. He would at least be out for 30 minutes or more.

She raised a brow at Satoshi and started to respond but before she cold open her mouth, the drowsy swordsman was unconscious again. Getting anything coherent out of him at this point was a lost cause. She turned her attention back to Simon with slight exasperation.

"I won't be leaving for a while. I still have a bit of work to do in this place... I'll be keeping my eye on you so do try not to trespass on my vessel uninvited again. I'll decide what to do with you when the time comes for departure. Who knows, maybe your unbound, wayward ship will return to you."

She walked back over to Satoshi to retrieve the water she had left next to him so he wouldn't knock it over in his sleep. She as she turned to walk away she stumbled a bit, splashing a bit of water over the side of the vessel, hitting Satoshi square in the neck. She froze for a moment. It was always best not to disturb sleeping swordsmen and then make sudden movements. She swallowed hard, hoping that he would sleep through the disturbance and not spring up in some half-asleep rage involving high-speed katana strikes.

"Hey, hey!"
Simon made sure to stay far, far away from Satoshi... he remembered being in a similiar situation with Jasmine once.... He reflexively rubbed his left amr, where a huge scar was to be seen, and grimaced. That hadn't been pretty...
Why was that woman so weird? Back to reality! He really needed to learn to stay focused...
"H-how 'bout ah help ya with whateva ya wanna do?"
...and get off this ship soon... Really, he wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place if it wasn't for..... Back to reality!
He didn't take his eyes off Satoshi while trying to make puppy eyes at Kiana at the same time. It didn't really work, this way, he only managed to make puppy eyes at the mast while seeing Satoshi from the corner of his eyes...

"He seems a right good lad, all given," Jim commented, sitting on the ship's rail at the far end from everybody, busily polishing off the bottle that Kiana had given to them right before the start of the fight. When it was empty, he threw it down to smash against a rock on the shore, watching with a child's sense of wonder as the sparkling blue shards were swallowed up by the seafoam and swept out to a century at sea.

"Still," he said, turning his head slowly, to face his benefactor and the other man muscling in on his schmoozing, "does seem a bloody big imposition, I suppose, to take on so many stragglers at once. That said, now that I've already gotten your permission," Jim began, opening an air door directly behind himself with his left hand, "I'll be disappearing for a while. But I'll be handy, too. If you need me for anything, just say so; otherwise, I'll see you when we hit land."

Rolling backwards off the railing, Jim faded from sight. A dull 'thunk' noise marked the closing of the air door and the beginning of Jim's quiet pleasure cruise.